heigis



March 3, 1936. H. E. HEIGIS 2,033,073

AUTOMATIC FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM AND APPARATUS Filed Dec 12, 1935 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR HLNRY fRNE-ST Him/a ATTORNEY March 3, 1936. H. E. HEIGIS 2,033,073

AUTOMATIC FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM AND APPARATUS Filed Dec. 12, 1955 2 Sheets Shet 2 84 as D A m 17 H g. 5

Fig. 4'

INVENTOR HENRY ERNEST Hale/s ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 3, 1936 I I Q UNITED STATES rAi ENT OFFICE: f v v y. AUTOMATIC rum rnornorlon SYSTEM AND APPARATUS Henry Ernest Heigis, west Orange, N. 1., assignor to Walter'Kidde & Company, Inc., Bloomfield,

N. J a corporation of New York Application December 12, 1933, Serial No. 702,088

1 6 Claims. (Cl. 116-101) This invention relates broadly to a system and Opened upon the devel opment of flames or sufflapparatus for detecting and indicating or sigient heat so as to permit fluid flow therethrough.

naling the presence of fire, and embodies more It w ll acc y be noted that each of the heat specifically and improved heat actuated system actuators 3 serves to close a branch of the fluid and apparatus of the type referred to adapted conducting tubing the latter of which is 5 t by no means limited to, u ith enected to an indicating device 5 mounted on the hicles propelled by internal combustionengines, instrument panel 6 of the i p and c pab e such as airplanes, automobiles, tractors, and the of rendering a v sib i t on upon e o t like. break of fire. A second fluid conducting tubing 1 10 It is an object of the invention to provide a connects the indicating device "5 0 the intake 10 System and ppa a us of the type referred to manifold 8 of the engine2, or to any other means which is very simple in construction, neat in apfor creating a degree of pressure different than pearance, compact, economical to manufacture, a p h efiective in operation, and both easy to install and Referring now to Fi u es 2 d in which easy to service after operation. the construction of the indicating device 5 is 15 It is another object of the invention to provide shown in detail, 9 represents a body member asystem and apparatus of the type referred to chambered at ill and recessed at ii to'receive a, for use with a self-propelled vehicle which will sealing gasket l2 and a cover plate IS. .withrender a visible signal within the held of vision in the chamber Ill, a turbine-like member M is of the operator of the vehicle. provided, mounted by means of screws IE on 20 5 These, and further objects of the invention a flangeli formed on a'spindle l1 journalled not specifically enumerated above, will be apparat one end within a recess l8 oi. the body mement as theinvention is described in greater deber 8 and journalled at the other end within tail in connection with the accompanying drawa recess IQ of the cover plate i3. The vanes 2 lngs, wherein: 20 of the turbine-like member M are arranged 2 Figure 115 a view in side elevation of a fire dewithin the cham r "3' s t h e is on y a tecting and indicating system constructed in acrelatively small cle between 'ed es 0 cordance with the presentinvention and installed the vanes and the definin Walls Of the Chamber upon an airplane, a portion of which is shown T Sp l s p d with an enlarged in dot and dash lines. center portion 2! provided with shoulders which 30 Figure 2 is a. view in front elevation of an inbear against the body member and the cover plate dicating device in accordance with the invention, and which serve to center the turbine like memwith a portion of the cover plate removed to ber within the chamber I0. show the interior construction. Passages 22 are provided in the body mem- Figure 3 is a view in section, taken on line 3-3 ber 9, leading into the chamber Hi from the exof Figure 2, and looking in the direction of the terior oi the body membe one of these pasarrows. sages being adapted to receive the fluid conduct- Figure 4 is an external view of a heat actuator lng t bi n t o r pas a bein adap employed in the system of the present invention. ed to receive the fluid conducting tubing 1, the

- Referring to Figure l, the reference numeral l passages 22 being directed into the chamber 40 represents an airplane of customary design havl0 at such an angle as to discharge an operating ing an engine 2, which it is desired to supervise fluid stream against the vanes of the turbineagainst the outbreak of fire. For this purpose like member H in order to effect rotation of said heat actuators 3, which form no part of the presmember I4.

5 ent invention but which are described in detail The cover plate l3 is provided with a sight in my copending application Serial No. 702,089, opening 23, the latter being closed in an air filed on even date herewith, are arranged at points tight manner by a transparent window 24, the where flames are likely to develop upon the nutpurpose of which is to permit observation of the break of fire, such as at a point adjacentthe turbine-like member l4.

engine carburetor, in the oil pump, above the The turbine-like member may, of course, be 50 engine to the rearward thereof, etc. For the formed in any suitable manner, the member here purpose of the present description it will be suiiishown being formed from a circular disc by slotcient to understand that the heat actuators are ting the same and twisting the segments formed of a type which are normally closed so as to into a position at right angles to the plane oi prevent fluid flow therethrough, but which are the disc, thus forming the vanes 20. 5

From the description thus far given, it will I be apparent that when either the fluid conductin'g tubing 4 or the fluid conducting tubing I is connected to means for creating a degree of pressure different than atmospheric, the turbinedow 24 than when the member I 4 is motionless.

Thus, if the member I I is rotated at a relatively low speed, its motion will be directly observable; whereas, if the member I4 is rotated at a relatively high speed, a continuous, blended or blurred yet distinctive indication will be given, which indication can be strengthened, for example, by suitable coloring of the edges of thevanes 20 and/or by spaced coloring of theflat central portion of the member I.

As described in connection with Figure 1, the fluid conducting tubing 4 is connected to one or more heat actuators 3, while the fluid conducting tubing 1 is connected to the intake manifold of the engine 2. When, therefore, the engine is operating without the use of the supercharger, if it has one, a suction will exist in the intake manifold 8; whereas, when the engine is operating with the supercharger, a posi-,

tive pressure may exist in the intake manifold. In either event, the turbine-like member H of the indicating device'5 will not be operated so long as all of the heat actuators 3 are intact; but'immediately upon the outbreak of fire and the opening of one or more of the heat actuators 3, a fluid flow will be established through the chamber I0 of the indicating device 5 in one direction or the other, depending upon whether the engine is operating with or without the supercharger.

As the indicating device is mounted on the instrument panel of the airplane in full view of the pilot, the indication given thereby will warn the pilot and enable him to take whatever protective measures are necessary for the safety of himself and his plane.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure l, the indicating device 5 has been shown connected to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, but it will, of course, be apparent thatthe indicating device may be connected in any other suitable manner, and is in fact equally operable when connected to any source of pressure greater or less than atmospheric, regardless of what may be the nature of source of pressure.

While the foregoing description has dealt with one specific embodiment of the invention, it should be noted that the invention is capable of being carried out with other forms of construction, and I accordingly do not wish to be strictly limited to the disclosure, but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. In an, automatic internal combustion engine flre protective system, the combination with the engine of an indicator operable by the continuous flow of a fluid, means on the engine to maintain a degree of pressure different from atmospheric pressure during the time of operation of the engine, a normally closed fluid system including the indicator and the pressure maintaining means, and means for opening the fluid system to the atmosphere upon the outbreak of fire, said indicator comprising a body member formed with a chamber, inlet and outlet connections for connecting said chamber in said normally closed fluid system and for permitting a flow of fluid through the chamber, a movable element in said chamber adapted to remain normally motionless but to move continuously upon the creation of a flow of fluid through the chamber, and a sight opening for permitting observation of the movable element in either its motionless or its moving condition.

2. In an automatic internal combustion engine fire protective system, the combination with the engine-of an indicator operable by the continuous flow of a fluid, means on the engine to maintain a degree of pressure different from atmospheric pressure during the time of operation of the engine, a normally closed fluid system including the indicator and the pressure maintaining means, and means for opening the fluid system to the atmosphere upon the outbreak of fire, said indicator comprising a body member formed with a chamber, inlet and outlet connections for connecting said chamber in said normally closed fluid system and for permitting a flow of fluid through the chamber, a movable element in said chamber adapted to remain normally motionless but to move continuously at a relatively high rate upon the creation of a flow of fluid through the chamber, and a sight opening for permitting observation of the movable element in either its motionless or its moving condition.

3. In an automatic internal combustion engine fire protective system, the combination with the engine of an indicator operable'by the continuous flow of a fluid, means on the engine to maintain a degree of pressure different from atmospheric pressure during the time of operation of the engine, a normally'closed fluid system including the indicator and the pressure maintaining means, and means for opening the fluid system to the atmosphere upon the outbreak of fire, said indicator comprising a body member formed with a chamber, inlet and outlet connections for connecting said chamber in said normally closed fluid system and for permitting a flow of fluid through the chamber, a movable element in said chamber adapted to remain normally motionless but to move continuously at a relatively high rate upon the creation of a flow of fluid through the chamber, indicating means associated with said movable element of a type presenting a contrast with the background thereof when motionless but presenting a continuous indicating appearance when moved at a relatively high rate, and a sight opening for permitting observation of the indicating means in either its motionless or its moving condition.

4. In an automatic internal combustion engine fire protective system, the combination with the engine of an indicator operable by the continuous flow of a fluid, means on the engine to maintain a degree of pressure diiferent from atmospheric pressure during the time of operation of the engine, a normally closed fluid system including the indicator and the pressure maintaining means, and means for opening the fluid system to the atmosphere upon the outbreak of fire,

said indicator comprising a body member formed with a chamber, inlet and outlet connections for connecting said chamber in said normally closed fluid system and for permitting a flow of fluid aoaaove through the chamber, a rotatable turbine-like element in said chamber adapted to remain normally motionless but to move continuously at a relatively high rate upon the creation of a flow of fluid through the chamber, and a sight opening for permitting observation of the turbinelike element in either its motionless or its moving condition.

5. In an automatic internal combustion engine fire protective system, the combination with the engine of an indicator operable by the continuous flow of a fluid, means on the engine to maintain a degree of pressure different from atmospheric pressure during the time of operation of the engine, a normally closed fluid system including the indicator and the pressure maintaining means, and means for opening the fluid system to the atmosphere upon the outbreak of fire, said indicator comprising a body member formed with a chamber, inlet and outlet connections for connecting said chamber in said normally closed fluid system and for permitting a flow of fluid through the chamber, a rotatable turbine-like element in said chamber adapted to remain normally motionless but to move continuously at a relatively high rate upon the creation of a flow of fluid through the chamber, indicating means associated with said turbine-like element of a type presenting a contrast with the background thereof at a plurality of positions when motionless but presenting a continuous indicating appearance when rotated at a relatively high rate, and a sight opening for permitting observation of the indicating means in either its motionless or its moving condition.

6. In an automatic internal combustion engine fire protective system, the combination with the engine of an indicator operable by the continuous flow of a fluid, means on the engine to maintain a degree of pressure different from atmospheric pressure during the time of operation of the engine, a normally closed fluid system including the indicator and the pressure maintaining means, and means for opening the fluid system to the atmosphere upon the outbreak of fire, said indicator comprising a body member formed with a chamber, inlet and outlet connections for connecting said chamber in said normally closed fluid system and for permitting a flow of fluid through the chamber, a rotatable turbinelike element in said chamber adapted to remain normally motionless but to move continuously at a relatively high rate upon the creation of a flow of fluid through the chamber. indicating means associated with said turbine-like element comprising spaced coloring of portions of the turbine-like element presenting a contrast with the background thereof when motionless but presenting a, continuous-color indicating appearance when rotated at a relatively high rate, and a sight opening for permitting observation of the indicating means in either the motionless or moving condition thereof.

HENRY ERNEST HEIGIS. 

